Potato-digger



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.) I y J. W. WOODS. OTATO BIGGER.

Patented Aug. 27,1895. Ey,

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) Y

J. W. WOODS. POTATO BIGGER.. I No. 545,145. Patented Aug. 27,1895.

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POTATO-DIGGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters :Patent No, 545,145, dated'August2'?, 1895.

Application filed April l, 1895. Serial No. 5414,028- (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

lle it known that I, JOHN XV. VOODS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Merriam, in the county of Johnson and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Diggers; and l dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

` and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being being had to the accompany ing drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecitication.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in potatodiggers in `.rhich provision is made for elevating the soil, togetherwith the potatoes, by means of an endless belt carrying scoops whichconveythe potatoes to assorting-platforms, Where the various-sizedpotatoes are caused to roll into different bags or receptacles, the soilbeing allowed to fall to the ground through suit able screens.

The invention consists, further, in the construction of a potato-diggerhaving the shovel which is designed to scoop up the earth with thepotatoes adjustable at both its front and rear ends, so that the depthto which it is desired to dig the row may be easily and quickly adjustedby hand-levers Within easy reach of the operator of the machine.

In my improved machine l make provision for taking up any slack in theendless conveyer by means of an idler connected to a lever within easyreach of the seat. The screens which I employ to receive and absorb thepotatoes are of various sizes of mesh, and are given both a vertical anda side reciprocating movement for the purpose of thoroughly separat-ingthe smaller potatoes from the larger ones and to free the potatoes ofall foreign substances, these reciprocating movements being produced bycams operated by gearing on the main driving-wheels, which will behereinafter more fully described.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain the sameconsists essentially in the novel construction, combina tion, andadaptation of the parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described,and then specically defined in the appended claims.

I clearly illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, which,with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of thisspecification, and in which drawings similar letters of referenceindicate like parts throughout both views, in Which-h Figure l is acentral vertical sectional view of my potato-digger- Fig. 2 is atop planview, certain parts of the machine not being shown to better illustratethe invention. Y

Reference nov.7 being had to the details of the drawings by letter, Adesignates the main framework, which is mounted on the rear shaft B, theforward end being held to the swiveled cleaves-carrying portion C. Therear Wheels of my digger are employed to impart motion to the elevatingmechanism by having a geared rim fastened to the spokes of one of theWheels, with the teeth of which rim there meshes a cogged wheel D, keyedto the end ot' a shaft E, which is journaled in bearings carried onstandards E. On the said shaft E are keyed the sprocket-Wheels l?, andabout these sprocket wheels the endless chain or belt G passes at ithighest point, and at its lowest limit the said chain passes about thesprocket-Wheels H. Y,

I regulate the tension of the endless chain carrying the buckets H bymeans of the idler or tightener J, journaled on the lever J', whichlatter has connection', by means of the rod j, with a hand-lever j',whose lower end is pivoted to the main frame of the machine and providedwith suitable releasing lever and segment K. The shovel L is adjustableat both ends-at the front end by means of the curved bar L', pivoted tothe forward end of the shovel, the said curved bar having the rack lsecured near its longitudinal center, the teeth on which rack areadapted to mesh with those of the segment M held to the handle M', whichlever has its suitable releasing dog and segment m. The forward end ofthe said bar L is perforated, and travels up and down on the bar N, theclevisn working up and down on the rod n' by means of the rack n2,meshing with the segment N2, to which is secured the lever N3, fastenedto the pole of the machine. The rear end of the scoop is pivoted to therack-bar Q, which meshes with the segment Qon the lever Q2, which isprovided with a dog designed to engage with notches IOO Y which causes avertical kmotion to the longitudinal bars T held to a cross-pieceresting upon the said cam. The lower ends of the said longitudinal rodsare secured to the rod or shaft U.

U is a wheel keyed to the shaft S and has an irregulargrooved trackabout its circumference in which a lug on the bar U3 is designed totravel. The said bar U3 has secured to it a pin NV, connecting the barU3 to the side of the shakingt'rame containing the as-r isortingbars,whereby a lateral reciprocating motion is imparted to theassorters. large potatoes roll down over the longitudinal assortingebarsand kinto the trough WV', the smaller-sized ones passing betweenthe barsTonto the screen beneath X, the mediumsized potatoes passing through themeshes of the assorter Y, fall into the trough Z, and run down itsincline to a bag placed for the reception of the potatoes. i

.Bags are attached at the various troughs to receive different-sizedpotatoes, so that the whole Work of digging the potatoes and assortingthe same is, as will be seen, done automatically, only two persons beingrequired to operate the machine.V The machine may be thrown into and outof gear by a simple clutch mechanism secured to the shaft carrying thegeared wheel, if it is desired.

Having thus 'described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a potato digger, the combination of the endless conveyer mountedon sprocket wheels and carrying a series of buckets, the tightener J,the rod j to the frame carrying said tightener and lever and segment K,of

s J e The the scoop L, the rackrbar Q pivoted toits rear end, the gearedsegment Qi of the handle lever Q2 and segment q, the curved member Lhaving itsforward end mounted on the vertical rod N, the rack bar esecured to said member, the geared segment M meshing therewith, and aweed cutter R adjustably held A on said member, all substantially askshown and described.

2. In a potato digger, the combination of the conveyer and adjustablescoop mounted as described, of the post- O, the vertically adjustableclevis mounted thereon, the rack bar n2 secured thereto, the gearedsegment N2 and handle N3` for raising and lowering the said clevis, themember LVmounted on the verticalrod N, and means for operating themachine, substantially ask shown and described.

3.k In combination with the conveyer as described, the series of gratebars mounted on suitable cross bars, the shaft S mounted on the mainframework and` carrying a cam T, designed to impart a. vertical motionto the said grate bars, the irregular grooved wheel U mounted on shaftS, the rod U3 having a lug designed to travel in said groove, the pin wconnecting the said rod U3 to the frame carrying the gratebars, wherebya lateral reciprocating motion is imparted, means for op-Y `barsvertically and laterally movable, perforated assorting plate Y, thetrough lV, the

shaking screen w and the Vtrough Z, and

